'''Arvedui''' ({{TA|1864}}<ref>{{PM|Elendil}}</ref> – {{TA|1975|n}},<ref name="North">{{App|North}}</ref> died aged 111) was the fifteenth, and last, king of [[Arthedain]], succeeding his father, [[Araphant]], upon his death in 1964.

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'''Arvedui''' ({{TA|1864}}<ref>{{PM|Elendil}}, p. 195</ref> – {{TA|1975|n}},<ref name="North">{{App|North}}</ref> died aged 111) was the fifteenth, and last, king of [[Arthedain]], succeeding his father, [[Araphant]], upon his death in 1964.

==History==

==History==

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:Arvedui can be found in the Ice-bay.<ref>{{VGC|SA13}}</ref>

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:Arvedui can be found in the Ice-bay.<ref>{{VGC|SAXIII}}</ref>

{{references}}

{{references}}

{{Sequence

{{Sequence

|prev=[[Araphant]]

|prev=[[Araphant]]

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|next=''Realm Extinct''<br>[[Aranarth]] as [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain|Chieftain]]

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|next=''Realm Extinct''<br><small>[[Aranarth]]&nbsp;as&nbsp;[[Chieftain of the Dúnedain|Chieftain]]</small>

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|list=15th [[Kings of Arnor|King of Arthedain]]<br>{{TA|1964}} - [[Third Age 1975|1975]]

History

Birth and Early Life

"Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dúnedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dúnedain arise and are united again."

Arvedui married Fíriel, the daughter of the king of Gondor, Ondoher, in 1940, securing the link between Gondor and Arthedain after years of estrangement. Four years later, Ondoher was killed in a battle with the Wainriders, and died without a male heir. Arvedui sent messages to Gondor claiming the kingship of Gondor as a descendent of Isildur and as the husband of Fíriel, who, under old Númenórean law, should have become the first ruling queen. In 1945 the Council of Gondor, persuaded by the Steward Pelendur, voted against Arvedui's claim in favour of Eärnil - the distant relative of the king and the victorious general in the war on the Wainriders.[3]

The snowmen helped the gaunt king and his men out of pity and out of fear of their weapons, giving them food and building them snow-homes. Arvedui and his men had to stay there and wait for help as all their horses had perished. In 1975, when Círdan heard from Arvedui's son, Aranarth, of his plight, he sent a ship to Forochel to find him. When the ship arrived in March of that year, the ice-men were afraid for no ship had been seen in those water in living memory, and the leader of the snowmen counselled Arvedui:

"Do not mount on this sea-monster! If they have them, let the seamen bring us food and other things that we need, and you may stay here till the Witch-king goes home. For in summer his power wanes; but now his breath is deadly, and his cold arm is long."

However, Arvedui did not heed their advice and gave them his ring, the Ring of Barahir, as a token of his thanks. When the ship set sail a great wind came from the north and the hull of the ship was broken on some ice, thus the last king of Arthedain died, and with him the two palantíri were lost.[4]

After Arvedui's Death

In 1973, Gondor had received word from Arthedain of their difficulties, and not forgetting their ancient kinship, Eärnil II, king of Gondor, sent as great a fleet as he could spare captained by his son Eärnur. By the time the fleet arrived, Arthedain was already defeated, and Arvedui had already perished.

However, in order to finally defeat this evil, Eärnur, Círdan and Glorfindel captained a host from Gondor, Lindon and Rivendell and marched across Eriador in such a great force that Angmar was utterly defeated without a single orc from that realm left to the west of the Misty Mountains.[3]

Despite the eventual victory over Angmar, Arnor was utterly defeated, and the Dúnedain of the North were a scattered and wandering people of which there were few. The line of kings continued, however, in Aranarth who took the title of Chieftain of the Dúnedain all the way down to Aragorn Elessar; and when Aragorn claimed the throne of Gondor he did so as both the heir of Isildur and Anárion due to the fact he was descended from Fíriel - a claim none of the heirs of Arvedui forgot.

As such, Malbeth's prophecy proved true, for Arvedui was indeed the last King of Arthedain; likewise, the last king of Gondor was Eärnur who was killed by the Witch-king. There would not be another king in the north until Elessar reunited the thrones of Gondor and Arnor in the Reunited Kingdom.

Etymology

Arvedui's name is Sindarin for "Last King" from ar meaning "royal, king", and medui (becoming lenited to vedui) meaning "last".